~ A Life That Matters ~

[Lani]

Romans 5:12-19

12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.



“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5 (NRSV)





On the evening of June 17, 1968, I gave my life to Jesus Christ while watching a televised evangelistic crusade. Although it was certainly needed, this decision wasn’t in my plans and certainly difficult to accept.

Life had become a monotonous grind. The freedom of being a young adult, newly married, and working a steady job as an auto mechanic were good experiences – but not good enough to remove a gnawing sense of something missing in my life. I grew up in the church and knew the stories of Jesus, but I had dismissed them. My aptitude for fixing things convinced me that if given the time, the meads, and the freedom, I could eventually fix this mysterious hole in my life all by myself.

Imagine my resentment when the evangelist said that I needed Christ. But the more he preached, the more I saw the truth of what he was saying. By the end of the broadcast, I had asked Christ to “fix” me. And through the power of love, God saved me- cleansing my conscience and given me a new reason for living. Nothing has created a greater impact on my life and the way I live it than committing myself to following Christ.



Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to admit that we need you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Prayer Focus of Day: Those struggling with pride.

Thought for the Day: Abundant life begins when we commit ourselves to following Christ. (John 10:10)

Story shared by: B. Fisher (VA)
Source: Upper Room Daily Devotional: 3/5/12

[logi bear]

aww i have never looked at it that way before!